It’s been billed as the ‘richest fight in history’. On Saturday, American Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Filipino southpaw Manny Pacquiao take on each other in a welterweight boxing match. The bout is scheduled to take place at the glittering MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vega.
Here are six reasons why the match-up has been hyped so much.
That’s what the sponsors have dubbed it. Still, in viewership terms, the bout is the closest things could get this year to the Cricket World Cup Final. Mayweather and Pacquiao are possibly two of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of their age. While the American Mayweather has been undefeated in his career, Filipino Pacquiao is a champion across six weight divisions.
In 47 previous bouts across his career, Mayweather has not lost to any opponent, ever. As for 32-year-old Filipino Pacquiao, he has lost a bout only five times in his career.
The clash has been five years in the making and the it is projected to generate a record $300 million or more in pay-per-view revenue, according to Forbes, with at least three million customers paying to watch the action.
Floyd Mayweather is likely to earn at least $180 million from the bout while Pacquiao, a 2-1 underdog, is expected to come away with more than $120 million.
What makes the clash more interesting is Mayweather’s reputation as the greatest defensive boxer in history. Compare that to the fact that Manny Pacquiao has recently won more bouts on points rather than on knockouts.
Reuters reports, “The MGM Grand in Las Vegas is expected to pack in close to 16,500 fans for the fight for a live-gate of $74 million”. In fact, reports suggest Pacquiao himself has bought 900 tickets for his friends and family.
While a ticket to watch the bout live at the MGM Grand arena is going to set fans back by anything from $1500 to $10,000, those are not even the most expensive tickets in the house.
Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield auctioned off a seat on the floor next to him for $40,100.
(With inputs from Reuters.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)